Proving Himself
by tripling fall down
Summary: Wherein Roxas attempts to lead a group of reluctant psychics through a haunted mansion. Oh, and Axel flirts outrageously.


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(Summary) Wherein Roxas attempts to lead a group of reluctant psychics through a haunted mansion. Oh, and Axel flirts outrageously.

(Disclaimer) I don't own anything. Not one whit.

(A/N) I...have no idea where this came from. It just...sprung from the swamp? Well, as for pairings, AkuRoku to begin with and then...anyone my mind comes up with. Any requests? XD

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**Proving Himself**

**Chapter One**

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Radiant Gardens, an independent detective agency, was much like any other agency of its nature. It was easily locatable in a phone book if you wanted to find it. It was situated on the second floor of a fairly nice house in a more-or-less respectable neighbourhood, consisting of three rooms and a host of complicated machinery that took up the majority of floor space, desk space and wall space.

If one looked closely they might be able to see the myriad of religious texts littered on the floor, or the strange masks and chimes hanging from both ceiling and walls. If they were to rub the dust off the metal plaque hanging on the door outside they might even be able to make out the small print written underneath the rather haphazardly written 'Radiant Gardens, Agency'.

Roxas, the young boy who sat at one of the tidier desks currently occupied only by scattered papers, an aged phone and an even more aged computer, knew exactly what was written on the plaque. After all, he had made it himself at age five.

The plaque, in all it's not-so-masterfully made glory, was testament to the fact the sometimes parents do tend to spoilt their children a little too much. Scratched into the bottom in ragged, small print were the words, 'Parapsychological Research Centre and Independent Detective Agency for the Unknown'. Roxas had been proud of them at one point, but he'd only been five at the time. He'd been too smart for his age, digging into dictionaries to find the biggest words he could to describe his father's job. Now they were just an embarrassment that his father proudly displayed for all to see.

Roxas's official job in Radiant Gardens was manning the phones. However as no one ever rung in it mostly consisted of him sitting by himself for hours on end whilst his father and his group of psychics went out exploring an gallivanting around haunted houses and scary graveyards.

It was galling. That his best friend Sora, who was the same age as him, was a part of his father's group of psychic only made it all the more annoying.

But no matter how much he pleaded his father never took him off his post by the phones.

Over the years he'd devised a plan of revenge but as of yet it hadn't really taken any affect. He'd ordered the 'extra large pizza with everything on it' and charged it to his father but, when his father returned, all he'd done is clap him on the shoulder and thank him for being so thoughtful. He'd prank called 'Destiny's Nail Care & Beauty Products' and placed an order for their most expensive brand of nail polish and lipstick and put it in his father's name. However his father merely chuckled and told him his mother's birthday wasn't for another month.

No matter what he tried he couldn't make the old man mad, or even get his attention for longer than five minutes at a time. It was an exasperating situation to say the least.

Not only that but there really was nothing to do – his computer crawled slower than a drugged snail.

"Hey, Roxas! Got any calls for me?"

Scowling Roxas ignored the teasing voice and focused on the crawling computer before him as it slowly loaded in his page.

The only notice he had was a hand on his shoulder before a head was nudging his out of the way and he had a face full of bristly red hair. He sneezed and hoped the redhead was happy now that he snot in his hair. "Oh, what's this? Looking at porn Roxas?"

He didn't go red. Almost, but not quite. After you've been asked the same question every day since you were twelve it tended to just go over your head. Instead he just frowned harder and shoved Axel out of the way.

"No," he said. "I'm trying to research something."

"Hm?" Axel hummed, squinting at the small font that was slowly beginning to fill the screen. " 'This Friday, come to the Old Crone's Abandoned Hovel and see the Ancient Head of Annabelle Sing Frère Jacques.'" Roxas could feel the red haired man trying not to laugh. "Man, don't want to miss that."

"Shut up," Roxas replied crossly, shutting the page down and turning in his seat to face Axel straight on. It was only then that he realized how caked in mud the man was. He raised an eyebrow.

"A little trouble with the Headless Ghost, seems he _really _wanted another head. Ah, but don't worry – but we got it." Roxas was about to reply that he wasn't _worried _when a voice cut across him.

"Don't you mean _I _got it? If I recall you didn't do anything but laugh at it Axel." Watching as his father entered Roxas felt some small amount of satisfaction to see everyone were just as worse for wear, if not more so, than Axel. Sora looked like he'd had a mud bath and Riku looked like he'd joined in. Roxas would have laughed himself if he'd felt generous enough. Instead he kept on scowling.

"Yo, old man, better be careful there. The Doctor said you shouldn't put too much weight on that leg of your's."

The words had his ears twitching and Roxas quickly turned around to scrutinize his father as he fully entered the room. He did seem to be favoring his left leg but... "What happened?" He blurted out.

"Like I said," Axel replied, "a little trouble with a Headless Ghost. And a swamp."

Roxas could feel his eyes widening even though he tried to hide his shock. "A...swamp? What were you doing near a swamp? I thought you went to Carmichael's Graveyard?"

"The Headless Ghost wanted to go for a swim?" Sora offered only to be whacked on the head by Riku who sighed before going off into the backroom, probably to change. Roxas watched as Sora followed after.

There were seven members of the Radiant Gardens Agency, Roxas himself not included of course. His father managed a team of six psychics and took them out on jaunts that were either complete failures, or ended up like this one had – with injuries and a lot of dirt.

And still Roxas would _kill_ to go with them.

His father was in charge of them all – a fact that Roxas couldn't really envy him off. After all, they were motley enough bunch. Starting off with Axel, the guy who couldn't take anything seriously – even his hair. Roxas knew it was died, it had to be. _No _one had hair like that naturally – it was just taking him a while to find the dye.

After Axel was Sora who, really shouldn't be on the team at all. It just wasn't fair – Roxas would admit that he sort of good at his job but he would never admit it aloud. Ever. The other boy was his age, only two days older, was the same height as him if you didn't include his hair and was even a grade below him in school. Even the thought of it was enough to get Roxas gritting his teeth.

After Sora came Riku – the two of them were inseparable. Riku dyed his hair as well – after all, who in the world had silver hair? Unless they were old and Riku was roughly the same age as Roxas and Sora. Roxas had never asked but assumed that was the reason he and Sora stuck together.

Then there was Demyx who, for reasons Roxas would never understand, liked to take his guitar with him on their little escapades. It was a nice guitar, sure, all electric blue with jagged, silver lightning but Roxas couldn't see why he'd risk taking it with him. Not that he'd question him – Demyx was stranger than the majority of freaky artifacts his Dad collected and then left in the office.

Kairi was the only girl on the team. She was nice, in that girly-giggling sort of way. Roxas liked her – if only because she was just as 'powerless' as he was. As far as he understood it she mostly went to mediate through Sora. Sometimes it worked and they lucky, sometimes it backfired so badly that what happened today happened again, only ten times worse.

Pence was part of the team only to manage the equipment. A job Roxas could easily have done – he tended not to speak to the other boy because of this.

The one left out was Zexion. Roxas understood him less than Demyx – he couldn't understand why the other man was on the team. He never spoke; he never...did anything as far as Roxas could see. He could spend days pondering the other man and still not come up with anything.

So that was the Radiant Gardens Parapsychological Investigations Team – it sounded better on the plaque than in his head.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Roxas heard Pence ask. Everyone had settled down into the sparse space left in the office. Roxas wasn't giving up his seat to anyone – they could all suffer as they were gingerly sitting on piles of books. Axel had been the smart one for once – he was resting on the edge of a table. "I mean, you don't want to sprain your foot more..."

Roxas's dad waved it off as impossible, looking over at Roxas who hid his face behind his computer screen. "Roxas? We're going to discuss the next mission – very boring stuff I can assure you. Did you want to go to your mother and ask if she can make us all a little something?"

No, Roxas did not want. But obviously Roxas had no choice. Making it as clear as possible how taxing it would be Roxas began the task of shutting down his computer, one slow click at a time. It took roughly five minutes in all, during which time silence reigned in the room. The only break in the quiet was when Sora and Riku stumbled into the room from their shared shower – no, Roxas was not going to ask.

Not that he could have done anyway. His father kept his little group very close to him at all times, as if afraid that if he lightened his hold they'd drift away and be lost to him. Roxas couldn't see what was so special about this one particular group but he wasn't going to question it. He had no idea what would happen if he did after all.

Scraping his chair along the floor in the most obnoxious way possible Roxas left the gathered group of psychics and exited the office.

Downstairs was Roxas's house – or, flat really. It had once been big, now it was more 'comfortable' – as his father would say. Roxas could remember having two rooms all to himself simply to play in. Now he had only one – a small room that he sometimes had to share with visiting psychological specialists – and the psychics. Especially Sora seemed to like showing up in the middle of the night and taking the spare bed.

Roxas never paid it any mind. He simply turned over, said goodnight and went straight back to sleep. Sora seemed to prefer it that way and Roxas wasn't going to risk their almost-friendship by asking difficult questions he had no right to.

The house had four rooms – only one more than the office did. The kitchen and living room had been squeezed into one; the bathroom was formerly a closet that his father had used his not-so-adequate plumbing skills on. The sink still leaked after six years, his father was too busy hunting ghosts to fix it. The two rooms left over were Roxas's room and his parents' room respectfully, his being slightly smaller of course.

Strangely enough he liked this set-up better than the old one. It felt more lived in, even if it could be cramped sometimes. If he felt the need for space he simply went upstairs to 'man the phones' as he had done today. There was only so much you could do on an aged computer however.

Following the thick smell of food on the air Roxas made his way to the kitchen where his mother, as he had assumed he would be, was already halfway through making dinner for eight people.

Leaning against the kitchen table Roxas watched as his mother literally sweated over the stove. Sometimes he couldn't understand why she went through all this trouble for his father. She cooked, cleaned the office and house – she'd even taken up a part-time job to get Roxas into the private school she believed he'd deserved. He only hoped his father knew how damn lucky he was. Roxas could only wish that he'd find someone so devoted someday.

Not that he was lonely. Or cared overtly much for company other than his own. Shaking his head Roxas cleared his throat to let his mother know he was there.

"Roxas! Is everyone back already? Oh and I still haven't put on the vegetables. Be a dear and get the peas and carrots for me?" She looked so harried that Roxas could only give a half grin and quickly fetch them for her. She gave him a peck on the cheek for his troubles and Roxas ruefully rubbed at it before stepping back to allow her to work.

"Dad injured himself again." He said as his mother pulled the beef from the oven. She almost dropped it when he talked but quickly caught herself and placed it on the top.

"He didn't." She replied disbelievingly.

"I know – he only broke his wrist a month ago." Roxas would never question his father's healing ability; it was almost uncanny how quickly he could bounce back from injuries such as fractures and breaks. He'd even once been cut with an ancient katana and come into the office dripping blood on the floor. Next day he'd only had a scratch and had already been complaining about the stains on the wood.

Seeing his mother's worried face Roxas did his best to comfort her. "It's alright – you know dad."

"I do and sometimes he goes too far," the words were accompanied by the bang of the pans as placed the vegetables next to the meat.

"If I went with him I could—"

"No." His mother was quick to answer. "Just...leave it to your father."

"But...I don't understand! Why? Why do I have to stay behind? Sora and Riku – they're both the same age as me and they get to go. I think Pence is even younger!"

"They're different from you."

Roxas bit his lip to keep from saying anything else. Instead he slipped into one of the chairs and watched as his mother finished dishing everything else. It smelt wonderful – as was probably expected of the number two chef in all of their rather considerably sized town. Pence's father was number one but Roxas forgave him for that, after all, _Pence's _father had had proper training – his mother was a natural genius in the kitchen.

"Oh, Roxas, remember to feed Zero – he'll be hungry about now."

"He's probably already eaten through dad's slippers again," Roxas replied even as he stood up. His room was attached to the kitchen through a door directly opposite the stove. He passed through it now to enter his bedroom.

The only room smaller than his in the house was the bathroom – even the shower/toilet unit his father had fitted in the office was bigger. He'd just managed to squeeze in his bed, a desk and a set of drawers. There was a mattress which took up the majority of floor space – along with his various magazines, books and old car tracks (he made sure these were out of sight when Sora came to stay).

The magazines were all the same – Roxas was proud to have a subscription to _Horrors Monthly _and _Worldly Wonders Weekly_. He'd saved every issue from his first – which dated back three years from now. Some of them were just gossip – such as the one about the President allowing aliens to stay the night at the White House whilst their spaceship got fixed. Some of them – mostly in _Horrors Monthly _– were the real thing however. They were also where his father got most of his jobs from.

Whistling under his breath for Zero he waited until the dog was in front of him before he delved into one of his drawers to fetch the dog treats.

Technically Zero was a ghost and couldn't eat – but his mother would never accept that as an excuse and always made Roxas feed the damn thing.

So he spent an inordinate amount of his meager pocket money on the mutt and received nothing in return but a whimper for more. The dog couldn't lick him; all that Roxas would feel was a chill on his hand or cheek. He couldn't even take Zero for walks to show him off – as cool as it would be most people couldn't see ghosts. It was Roxas's one and shining glory, and then he could only see ghosts who chose to show themselves. Unlike Sora – or Axel, who could sense them a mile away.

One day he was going to be as good as them, no _better. _And then his father would be forced to acknowledge him. The thought made him smile as he put the treats away and went to lie out on his bed.

He was up minutes later when he heard the crash from upstairs.

"...Dear!"

_to be continued..._

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a/n: Yeah, I'm evil for leaving it there XD; And yes, I know nothing really happens...I'm saving that for next chapter...


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